Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2017 Apr;18(3):340-344.
doi: 10.5811/westjem.2016.12.30854. Epub 2017 Mar 7.

State Emergency Department Opioid Guidelines: Current Status

Robert I Broida  1 , Tanner Gronowski  2 , Andrew F Kalnow  2 , Andrew G Little  2 , Christopher M Lloyd  2
Affiliations

State Emergency Department Opioid Guidelines: Current Status

Robert I Broida et al. West J Emerg Med. 2017 Apr.

Abstract

Introduction: The purpose of this study was to evaluate and categorize current state-sponsored opioid guidelines for the practice of emergency medicine (EM).

Methods: We conducted a comprehensive search of EM-specific opioid prescribing guidelines and/or policies in each state to determine current state involvement in EM opioid prescribing, as well as to evaluate some of the specifics of each guideline or policy. The search was conducted using an online query and a follow-up email request to each state chapter of ACEP.

Results: We found that 17 states had emergency department-specific guidelines. We further organized the guidelines into four categories: limiting prescriptions for opioids with 67 total recommendations; preventing/diverting abuse with 56 total recommendations; addiction-related guidelines with 29 total recommendations; and a community resources section with 24 total recommendations. Our results showed that current state guidelines focus on providers limiting opioid pain prescriptions and vetting patients for possible abuse/diversion.

Conclusion: This study highlights the 17 states that have addressed opioid prescribing guidelines and categorizes their efforts to date. It is hoped that this study will provide the basis for similar efforts in other states.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Conflicts of Interest: By the WestJEM article submission agreement, all authors are required to disclose all affiliations, funding sources and financial or management relationships that could be perceived as potential sources of bias. The authors disclosed none.

References

    1. Prescription Drug Overdose in the United States: Fact Sheet. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Website. 2014. [Accessed Feb 2, 2015]. Available at: http://www.cdc.gov/homeandrecreationalsafety/overdose/facts.html. Updated Jan 9, 2015.
    1. Szalavitz M. Report: Chronic, Undertreated Pain Affects 116 Million Americans. Time. 2011. [Accessed Feb 21, 2015]. Available at: http://healthland.time.com/2011/06/29/report-chronic-undertreated-pain-a...
    1. Shallow P. Dying for pain relief in the opioid epidemic. [Accessed Apr 28, 2015];CBS News. 2014 Available at: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/14days-dying-for-pain-relief-opioid-abuse/
    1. Cantrill S, Brown MD, Carlisle RJ, et al. Clinical policy: critical Issues in the prescribing of opioids for adult patients in the emergency department. Ann Emerg Med. 2012;60(4):499–525. - PubMed
    1. Hasegawa K, Espinola JA, Brown DF, et al. Trends in U.S. emergency department visits for opioid overdose, 1993–2010. Pain Med. 2014;15(10):1765–70. - PubMed

MeSH terms

Substances